II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1476 

To safeguard the United States and our allies from Russian ballistic and 

cruise missile threats, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 29, 2017 

Mr. CARDIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To safeguard the United States and our allies from Russian 

ballistic and cruise missile threats, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Countering Russian 

5 Missiles Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 (a) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

8 The term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

9 means— 


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1 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

2 Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 

3 Appropriations, and the Select Committee on Intel4 ligence of the Senate; and 

5 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

6 Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 

7 Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Com8 mittee on Intelligence of the House of Representa9 tives. 

10 (b) INF TREATY.—The term ‘‘INF Treaty’’ means 

11 the Treaty between the United States of America and the 

12 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of 

13 Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, 

14 signed at Washington, DC, December 8, 1987, and en15 tered into force June 1, 1988. 

16 SEC. 3. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find18 ings: 

19 (1) The INF Treaty, which entered into force 

20 on June 1, 1988, banned the Union of Soviet Social21 ist Republics (USSR) from possessing ground22 launched nuclear and conventional missiles and 

23 launchers retaining ranges between 500 and 5,500 

24 kilometers (km). 


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1 (2) Implementation of the INF Treaty led to 

2 the dismantlement of 2,692 short-, medium-, and in3 termediate-range missiles between the United States 

4 and the USSR, representing a major reduction in 

5 both nuclear arsenals and evidencing key efforts to 

6 safeguard the United States and its allies from nu7 clear weapons. 

8 (3) Since concerns regarding a noncompliant 

9 ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) were first 

10 raised in 2008, the Russian Federation has devel11 oped and tested a GLCM (currently designated 

12 ‘‘SSC–8’’) that has a range violating the funda13 mental stipulations of the INF Treaty. 

14 (4) In 2014, the United States labeled the Rus15 sian Federation to be ‘‘in violation’’ of the INF 

16 Treaty in the Department of State Report entitled, 

17 ‘‘Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, 

18 Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and 

19 Commitments’’, and has maintained Russia’s non20 compliant status in each subsequent report due to 

21 the development and testing of the SSC–8. 

22 (5) During a March 2017 hearing at the Com23 mittee on Armed Services of the House of Rep24 resentatives, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

25 of Staff, General Paul Selva, asserted that ‘‘we beVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Jul 11, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1476.IS S1476

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1 lieve that the Russians have deployed a land-based 

2 cruise missile that violates the spirit and intent of 

3 the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty’’ and that 

4 such a system poses ‘‘a threat to NATO and to fa5 cilities within the NATO area of responsibility.’’ 

6 (6) When examining the response options at the 

7 United States disposal, the Department of Defense 

8 stated in its 2016 Plan for Military Response Op9 tions to Russian Federation Violations of the Inter10 mediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty that 

11 ‘‘Russia’s return to compliance with its obligations 

12 under the INF Treaty remains the preferable out13 come.’’ 

14 (7) United States allies in Europe do not cur15 rently have sufficient defensive articles and material 

16 to properly defend against the Russian Federation’s 

17 new GLCM. 

18 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

19 United States to— 

20 (1) protect the United States interests and as21 sets abroad and our allies from the burgeoning 

22 threat stemming from Russia’s development of a 

23 new GLCM that violates the INF Treaty; 


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1 (2) promote and expand cooperation and mu2 tual defense with European and Asian allies 

3 through— 

4 (A) strengthening the United States offen5 sive posture and defensive infrastructure on the 

6 European continent; and 

7 (B) enhancing military to military coordi8 nation with key allies in Europe and Asia; 

9 (3) pressure the Russian Federation to abide by 

10 its commitments regarding the INF Treaty and dis11 continue engaging in hostile activities regarding its 

12 missile program by— 

13 (A) diplomatically engaging the Russian 

14 Federation within the Special Verification Com15 mission; 

16 (B) articulating that the Russian Federa17 tion is in material breach of the INF Treaty; 

18 and 

19 (C) communicating to the Russian Federa20 tion that if they remain in non-compliance with 

21 the INF Treaty by January 1, 2019, the 

22 United States will— 

23 (i) take military actions to improve 

24 our European deterrence and defense capa25 bilities, including the development of a conVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Jul 11, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1476.IS S1476

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1 ventional variant of the Long Range 

2 Stand-off system (LRSO); 

3 (ii) assist United States allies in im4 proving their air- and sea-launched conven5 tional strike capabilities by facilitating 

6 sales of the extended-range variant of the 

7 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile 

8 (JASSM–ER) and sea-based Tomahawk 

9 cruise missile; and 

10 (iii) deploy limited defenses against 

11 cruise missiles to protect key alliance as12 sets; and 

13 (4) not precipitously withdraw from the INF 

14 Treaty without fully consulting and coordinating 

15 with European allies. 

16 SEC. 4. REPORTS. 

17 (a) REPORT ON THE MILITARY AND SECURITY RAMI18 FICATIONS OF RUSSIA’S GLCM.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an21 nually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense, with the 

22 concurrence of the Secretary of State, shall submit 

23 to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

24 including the following elements: 


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1 (A) A description of the status of the Rus2 sian Federation’s new GLCM (SSC–8), its ca3 pabilities, and the threat it poses to the United 

4 States’ European and Asian allies and assets in 

5 the region. 

6 (B) An assessment of whether the United 

7 States faces significant military disadvantages 

8 with the introduction of the SSC–8 to the Eu9 ropean continent. 

10 (C) An assessment of gaps in the United 

11 States current missile defense infrastructure in 

12 Europe and what capabilities may be required 

13 to defend United States and European assets 

14 against the threat posed by the SSC–8. 

15 (D) An assessment of capability gaps that 

16 a new United States intermediate range missile, 

17 which is not compliant with the INF Treaty, 

18 would address in Europe and Asia. 

19 (E) The timeline for fielding an INF range 

20 missile, including time for research, develop21 ment, and deployment of the system, and the 

22 total cost for development and deployment of 

23 the system. 


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1 (2) FORM.—The report required under sub2 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

3 but may include a classified annex. 

4 (b) REPORT ON PLANS FOR GREATER MISSILE DE5 FENSE COORDINATION WITH ALLIES.—Not later than 

6 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

7 annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, with the con8 currence of the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the 

9 appropriate congressional committees a report that in10 cludes a plan including— 

11 (1) a description of how the United States will 

12 coordinate with its European allies to enhance mis13 sile detection and defense; and 

14 (2) any recommendations for additional foreign 

15 military sales, financing, or international military 

16 education and training to be made available to Euro17 pean allies for strengthening missile defense capa18 bilities. 

19 SEC. 5. CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS. 

20 (a) COMMISSION PROPOSALS.—Not later than 15 

21 days before any meeting of the Special Verification Com22 mission to discuss and resolve implementation and compli23 ance issues regarding additional procedures to improve the 

24 viability and effectiveness of the Treaty, the President 

25 shall consult with the Chairman and Ranking Member of 


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1 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate with 

2 regard to whether the proposal, if adopted, would con3 stitute an amendment to the INF Treaty requiring the 

4 advice and consent of the Senate, as set forth in Article 

5 II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United 

6 States. 

7 (b) ENSURING COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 180 

8 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and semi9 annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall consult 

10 with the Chairman and Ranking Member regarding 

11 whether the Russian Federation is in compliance with the 

12 INF Treaty, and if not, what steps the United States is 

13 taking to bring them back into compliance. 

14 SEC. 6. RESTRICTION OF FUNDS TO LEAVE THE INF TREA15 TY. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under sub17 section (b), no funds may be made available or expended 

18 for any action that effects the withdrawal of the United 

19 States from the INF Treaty. 

20 (b) EXCEPTION.—The restriction in subsection (a) 

21 shall not apply— 

22 (1) after Congress has received the report re23 quired by section 4(a); and 

24 (2) 90 days after the President certifies to the 

25 appropriate congressional committees that withVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Jul 11, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1476.IS S1476

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1 drawal of the United States from the INF Treaty is 

2 in the vital national security interests of the United 

3 States, including the reasons for such certification 

4 and an explanation of how the INF Treaty would 

5 prohibit the President’s intended actions. 

Æ 


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